Ridley Scott's latest film, The Dog Stars, is a disappointing entry in the post-apocalyptic survival genre, according to IGN's review. Based on Peter Heller's 2012 novel, the film follows Jacob Elordi's mechanic Hig and his dog as they navigate a world devastated by a mysterious virus, but the reviewer argues it fails to find fresh emotional truth despite Scott's decades of experience with stories of survival and repression.

The film, released in cinemas from 28 August, is described as a slow-moving survival drama rather than the action-thriller suggested by its trailer, featuring Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce and Margaret Qualley alongside Elordi. The review praises its IMAX-suited cinematography of an abandoned Denver and the Rocky Mountains but criticises Mark L. Smith's script for leaden, contrived dialogue and a lack of basic world-building, with a sleepy first hour only picking up once standoffs between the central characters begin.